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Should You Worry About the Use of Glyphosate?

When it comes to the use of glyphosate, popularly known as Roundup, everything you believe to be true isn’t.

Let me rephrase that statement.

Everything you’ve heard about the weed killer Roundup is only true if you choose to believe it. It’s all about what you want to believe in.

For those of you who’re still on the fence, here’s what I believe since a lot of you have been keen to know my take on this topic. It’s finally here.

However, I deemed this a very sensitive subject, and therefore, I invited one of my LinkedIn troops to help me to nail this.

I posed the question to Matthew Kroger;

Should we worry about the use of glyphosate?

Here’s what he had to say.

‘Now on to Glyphosate. Mr. Makomere asked me to share my observations and knowledge of Glyphosate and any concerns I may have. I have plenty.

In short, Glyphosate (aka Roundup) was originally designed to clean the mineral build up off of waste pipes in an industrial setting. When this “waste water” was drained into adjacent fields the vegetation died.

After repeated drainings, it was also discovered that some plants built an “immunity” to glyphosate.

It forms a chemical bond to minerals on the atomic level. It not only binds to the minerals in the soil, but it also binds to minerals within cells of living organisms.

This stuff works, and it does exactly what it was designed to do, it bonds with minerals. It should NOT be used for agricultural purposes. EVER!

We are depleting our soils of minerals with the growing of crops. The plants take minerals out of the soil by themselves, it seems rather counter-intuitive to spray chemicals on the crops that further deplete the soils of yet more minerals.

Glyphosate binds to and “locks up” the minerals and they are not available for biological uptake by either plants or animals. We have no clue how long it takes nature to release the atomic bond of glyphosate from the minerals.

These “crops” have been biologically engineered to withstand multiple applications of glyphosate.

The regulating agencies have deemed a specific amount of glyphosate is “ok”. Here is where it gets real messy.

The Roundup Ready crops do indeed survive the chemical applications. But. They absorb the glyphosate.

So, now there is two or even three times the allowable amount of Roundup within the crop itself!

Not to mention the extra that was overspray and hit the ground rather than the plant.

Now we are continuing the depletion of minerals through chelation directly in the soil before the plants can even get a chance take up the minerals.

That chemical atomic bond is super strong and is occurring much much faster in farmed areas where Glyphosate is being used. I could talk for hours on this but was asked to keep it short…

Matthew Kroger is a “self-taught” individual who has chosen the path of oral tradition over formal education. He has listened to his elders and peers, and put into practice what they have taught him that worked for them. He utilizes modern technologies such as the internet and choose to follow people, groups, pages etc… That teach him in accordance with his values and prior teachings.

Salting the Wound

Glyphosate was classified by IARC under group 2A which is probably carcinogenic to humans

He goes on to mention that ‘The regulating agencies have deemed a specific amount of glyphosate as ok.’

That includes Monsanto the company that owned the glyphosate patent by the way.

However, recent scientific studies clearly show that glyphosate doesn’t degrade easily in soil or in humans and animals.

A German study suggests that glyphosate accumulates in all organs (liver, kidneys, intestines, heart, lungs, bones, and so on) of animals and people eating food products made from Roundup Ready crops.

This is contrary to Monsanto’s claims that humans can digest glyphosate in our food and water and it won’t accumulate in our bodies.

According to Genetic Engineer Thierry Vrain in an interview with, Hannah Kincaid, a large number of published scientific studies — mostly done outside the United States — show that as little as 1 ppm of glyphosate will kill almost all bacteria.

Particularly beneficial bacteria — in the gut of animals; that endocrine disruption starts at 0.5 ppm; and that even just a few ppm can cause oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, DNA damage, and many other disruptions in mammalian organ cells and tissues.

Last year, the World Health Organization asked an international team of 17 experts from 11 countries to review the status of several agricultural chemicals, including glyphosate.

Their verdict was that the scientific literature contains enough convincing evidence to classify glyphosate as a probable carcinogen.

Wait, there’s more

The Environmental Protection Agency together with Monsanto considers glyphosate to have low toxicity when used at the recommended doses.

Whether their sentiments leave up to expectations remain to be proved with independent scientific studies. However, until now, most studies have majorly focused on the safety of glyphosate.

It’s rather the mixture of ingredients found in Roundup that is similarly worrisome.

If the recent study is anything to go by, scientists and toxicologists have found that Roundup’s inert ingredients amplified the toxic effect on human cells – even at concentrations much more diluted than those used on farms and lawns.

This study provides evidence, that shows it’s not the only glyphosate that’s dangerous, but also chemicals listed as, ‘inerts’ – the solvents, preservatives, and surfactants in some formulations of Roundup.

Polyethoxylated tallow amine, popularly known as POEA, is a common example of these inert ingredients used in Monsanto’s Roundup formulations to aid in penetrating the waxy surface of plants.

Related

11 comments

It’s very sad that Roundup is being ROUNDLY used especially in Floriculture units and many many Agricultural crops as well. It may be safe to us it for non Edible crops to control weeds, but the fact is that it gets leached into the soil and final into the Human System with serious consequences

Ecowath is a fraud site. Everyone of those so called studies on that list is either a fraudulent attempt to link correlation with causation or an in vitro study where they deliberately killed cells and then made speculative claims. The Argentina stuff has been debunked by many.

This is a completely wrong and poorly written article done by a know nothing that regularly posts errors on linkedin. He has no clue about the truth. Chelated minerals are often used to quickly cure nutritional deficiencies. One of the most commonly used is Chelated iron on turf grass. I have done this myself on many occasions. The stuff about cancer is complete crap. The EFSA, the EPA and most other scientific bodies that have taken a stand say no to cancer being caused by glyphosate. The WHO has also said this. I am stunned that Chris would let himself be conned like this.

Everything you’ve heard about the weed killer Roundup is only true if you choose to believe it. It’s all about what you want to believe in.

NO. Because Science. And Reality.

It is NOT about believing. It is about FACTS.

We all know that manufactured chemicals can be dangerous. It is up to RESPONSIBLE and INDEPENDENT research chemists to determine what the FACTS about chemical reactions might be. And, physiologists should be testing residues, etc. Then, Regulators need to make the right choices.

Monsanto and all manufacturers want to sell their products. Producers (farmers) want to sell more product, with lower input costs.

If Roundup is bad, then PROVE it with reliable research, and FORCE changes in regulations.

Glyphosate is a very effective herbicide, and because of the price being reduced steadily for the past few decades, and genetic engineering of crop plants to resist it’s herbicide properties. it has become the most widely used agricultural chemical in the world. However that does not mean it is without it’s faults, and I agree with all the conclusions presented the the article, and strongly disagree with the comments made by Eric. I have spoken with a former member of the EPA who told me that they have ample scientific evidence to support the withdrawal of the license for glyphosate to be used as a herbicide, and that the license should have been withdrawn years ago. The only reason that it hasn’t happened is because of the overwhelming lobby power of Monsanto.
Monsanto has a registered patent on glyphosate as an antimicrobial, and it has a much greater antimicrobial affect on the beneficial soil micro-flora then it does on the soil pathogenic micro-flora. Anyone that understands agronomy will know that the most important aspect of plant health is the population of beneficial microbiology in the plants rizhosphere. When a glyphosate based herbicide is applied to a plant, the plant absorbs the glyphosate and trans locates the glyphosate throughout the whole plant, including the portions that we harvest for food, and some is exuded through the roots into the rizhosphere. where it has it’s antimicrobial affect on the beneficial microbes, leaving the root system more exposed to the pathogenic microbes, and also impedes the plants ability to obtain the food sources it needs to stay healthy, lowering it’s brix levels, which leave it more vulnerable to inscects and disease. This increases the crop disease pressure and increases the toxins in the plant products consumed, from the metabolites of these pathogens. The glyphosate residue in the food we consume has a the same affect on our microbiome as it does on the soil, leaving us with a impeded immune system.

I noticed no proof of any of the claims made in your comment. I have also noticed that none of the results have appeared in the news as would be expected if you were correct. After all this herbicide has been in use for over 40 years.